There are known various devices for holding or locking an object in place such as vices and specifically-designed locking tools. The object to be locked in place can then be worked upon and can be held in a certain desired position. Some of these prior art devices use holding or locking jaws or portions that act upon a common connecting pin or other means. Some of these tools are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 682,701; 644,825; 1,026,270; 1,401,931; 1,450,875; 1,717,726; 2,574,909 and 4,633,558.
In U.S. Pat. No. 682,701 (Howland) a locking pliers is disclosed having a plurality of pieces movable along a multitude of pivot points. There is a central pivot A having 5 or 6 separate pieces movable thereabout. When the pliers of Howland is in the locked position an object is held between jaws B and C which are in turn pivotally-connected to D, H, J and r. Howland's device is relatively complex in usage and construction. Both handles of Howland's also must be held at all times during use in order to maintain an object locked in position. Also, Howland requires a high friction surface to function properly.
U.S. Pat. No. 644,825 (Jensen) discloses a wrench having handle means that can be locked in place by a spring means n. The spring is positioned on the bottom portion of one of the handles. When pin g of Jensen is pressed out of the socket h, it is slid into the socket g and spring n holds it in place. The holding device of Jensen is again relatively complex in construction and would be relatively expensive to manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,026,270 (Leonard) discloses a pipe wrench with a holding device to permit the wrench to be applied to a pipe or rod. A spring 15 in Leonard engages the handle 13 and its opposite end is secured to the shank of the wrench. The spring 15 locks the handle in position between the jaws 5 and 6. As in many locking tools, Leonard relies upon a spring means to provide the locking mechanism in his device.
In Whelan U.S. Pat. No. 1,401,931 an adjustable pipe wrench is disclosed which uses a quadrant attachment element together with two jaws to hold an object in position. The wrench of Whelan holds pipes or the like of various diameters with a three point grip, each of the three elements having a gripping surface.
McGill U.S. Pat. No. 1,717,726 and Burrows U.S. Pat. No. 2,574,909 each disclose wrenches having holding means to tightly hold items. Each discloses a wrench having several parts and several focal points for each part. Included in both patents are adjusting means to tighten or loosen objects held within the jaw assemblies of the respective wrenches.
In Teselsky U.S. Pat. No. 1,450,875 a pliers is disclosed having a third jaw section that will coact with the other two jaws of the pliers to prevent the article gripped from slipping. Handle means 5 and 6 of Teselsky each terminate with a jaw section, these jaw sections have a shank mounted around the exterior portion of one of the jaws. This shank acts as a third jaw which coacts in a gripping operation.
Spaulding, U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,558, discloses a tool for applying a spring clamp to an object. Spaulding utilizes a cam which is carried by one of the jaws and a pair of side plates pivotally supported by the other of said jaws having cam control tracks therein for effecting and controlling radial movement of said cam to complete closure of said clamp. There are means on a jaw for controlling rotation of the cam and the cam is engaged to a hook portion to the spring clamp to effect closure.
All of the above prior art devices are relatively complex in structure, most require springs for a locking effect and several are complicated to use. There is a need for a relatively simply-constructed tool that will lock an object in position without the need for springs or other such means.